After handling some miscellaneous tasks at the West Factory, Chen Yi sought out his acquaintance, Supervisor Zeng, to delegate some minor duties.
After that, Chen Yi walked home on foot.
Dusk was now close at hand.
The dim yellow hue stretched across the sky, obscured by dark clouds—tonight, it seemed, there would be rain.
Chen Yi stepped into the inner courtyard, his footsteps abruptly stopping.
The door lock had split in two and fallen to the ground.
Chen Yi squinted his eyes, quickly walked forward, and pushed open the door.
The room was empty; Yin Tingxue's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Turning his head, Chen Yi saw a conspicuous note pinned by a silver needle.
[If you don't want the matter of hiding the Saintess to be discovered, let my sister go!]
The handwriting was messy.
He turned his gaze and noticed a sash lying on the floor, embroidered on its side with the character "Xiang."
On the door, written in blood, were a few words: East Prosperity Gate, save…
It was clearly unfinished.
"Just perfect."
Chen Yi tucked away the sash.
He had originally planned to casually grab an outer garment, but unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon the "Sash Edict."
.........
At a mansion near the Eastern Factory.
Min Ning's grandfather, Min He, once served as the Garrison Commander of the Brocade-Clad Guards. The Min family had been a rising aristocratic force in the Capital City, distinguished for a time. However, soon after Min Ning was born, the Eastern Factory was established, and the Brocade-Clad Guards quickly fell out of favor with the late Emperor. Furthermore, the Brocade-Clad Guards were implicated with the Prime Minister during his scandal, and many were dragged down because of it. The Min family, once prosperous, rose quickly and fell just as fast.
Following this, numerous events unfolded, many of them unspeakable, ultimately forcing Min Ning to disguise herself as a man to infiltrate the Eastern Factory, while her elder sister resorted to working as a courtesan-spy for the Wuyong Building.
In the moderately sized residence, Min Ning sat restlessly, her slender fingers intermittently flicking the blade, producing crisp, resonant hums.
After Chen Yi released her, she began calculating certain things in her mind.
She naturally wanted to eliminate the Demon Sect, but at the same time… she couldn't let Chen Yi's claws reach her sister.
Thus, Min Ning thought about the maid who had been taken away and began to suspect her true identity.
Yin Tingxue sat in the hall, just to Min Ning's left. She occasionally turned to glance at Min Ning, wondering, "Is this the person he favors?"
Indeed, she carried a measure of radiance, and beneath her heroic demeanor, there was still a fragile melancholy resembling withered straw—hidden and never exposed.
Being kidnapped and brought here by Min Ning, Yin Tingxue did not seem overly panicked.
She had originally wanted to escape, to flee far away—from her enemies. And now Min Ning had brought her here, not only refraining from harming her but also treating her with care, as if afraid something might happen to her.
Yin Tingxue considered this situation: though she technically had been kidnapped, it was still better than being where she was.
Min Ning noticed Yin Tingxue's gaze and subconsciously turned to look. She had seen her from a distance a few times in the Prince Mansion and knew she was the Prince's daughter, but she never would have guessed that she was actually the Demon Sect Saintess.
Such a soft and delicate girl—it was difficult to associate her with the bloodthirsty image of the Demon Sect Saintesses that Min Ning had in her mind.
Especially after hearing her speak about the humiliations and abuses she had suffered at Chen Yi's hands.
Already resentful of Chen Yi, Min Ning now felt even deeper hatred, gnashing her teeth in anger.
If possible, Min Ning truly wished to carve out Chen Yi's heart and toss it into the river, letting the rushing currents wash away all its vile filth.
Outside, the sky darkened, and a faint dampness began to spread.
Min Ning had been waiting for Chen Yi to confront her, but he hadn't shown up. The frequency of her blade-flicking grew quicker.
"Can it be… my message wasn't clear enough?"
Min Ning muttered.
Then she thought of something.
Min Ning stood up abruptly,
"Could it be… he went to find my sister instead?!"
But after a moment of hesitation, she slowly sat back down—she trusted that if something happened to her sister, she would be informed through carrier pigeon.
Clang.
The metallic clanking of weapons and armor echoed from outside, followed by the faint sound of fighting.
Min Ning frowned and headed toward the door.
Suddenly, the glint of steel flashed outside. The wooden door instantly shattered, and a sharp sword thrust in, narrowly missing Min Ning.
Min Ning hurriedly stepped back, drawing her blade from its sheath. A moment later, an immense force from outside caused the entire wooden door to collapse.
"It's the Saintess!
The Eastern Factory indeed abducted the Saintess!"
.........
Xue Youge rose abruptly, watching with shock and fury as a dense swarm of Demon Sect followers swarmed forth like ants from a nest.
"What's going on? What happened?"
"The Demon Sect has attacked—they've suddenly turned on us!"
"Defend the drill ground—defend the drill ground!"
Shouts, clashes of weapons, and panicked cries mingled together as the Demon Sect inexplicably launched an assault. At this moment, they began surrounding the Eastern Factory. If not for witnessing it firsthand, Xue Youge wouldn't have believed the Capital City harbored such a vast number of Demon Sect followers.
"How did they organize themselves like this?"
Surprise flickered in Xue Youge's eyes, but it swiftly vanished as he regained composure amidst the chaos. He gathered his inner energy and shout-commanded, before stepping forward out the window, leaping into the fray—a figure in crimson robes descending into the crowd.
Xue Youge raised a hand, gripping a Demon Sect member's head, and with terrifying strength, crushed it outright—blood splattered everywhere.
"Eastern Factory, hear my command: beneath the Emperor's foot, we eradicate demons today!"
"If the Demon Sect Saintess appears, kill her without hesitation!"
The winds stirred; torrential rain poured down.
......…
The clash of metal never ceased, and the rain continued relentlessly.
Min Ning gasped for breath. She pulled the blood-soaked Brocade Spring Blade from a Demon Sect member's chest.
"Damn it, damn it!"
Min Ning wiped the fresh blood from her blade hurriedly, grabbed Yin Tingxue, and dashed outside.
With that cry of "It's the Saintess!" the Demon Sect followers surged forward endlessly. There was no way to remain here.
Yin Tingxue looked at the corpses scattered across the ground, her small hands trembling, her face ghostly pale.
Several shadowy figures emerged from the alley, charging at Min Ning with hostile intentions.
As a sword came at her, Min Ning sidestepped, her armguard tearing. Holding her blade, she lunged forward, channeling her True Qi, stepped closer, and slashed at the Demon Sect member's neck—a torrent of blood erupted, dyeing her clothes scarlet.
A gust of wind swept behind—unexpectedly, a heavy staff aimed for the back of Min Ning's head. The previous attacker had feigned exhaustion, concealing the true killing blow.
Min Ning turned abruptly but barely dodged. The strike landed on her left shoulder; though her bones didn't shatter immediately, her body roared with numbness from the shock.
She gritted her teeth and twisted, unleashing a slash with the Serpent-Cleaving Blade technique. The attacker's face disintegrated in an instant, half of it gone, collapsing onto the ground.
"The Saintess is in the hands of the Eastern Factory! Save the Saintess!"
"Follow me!"
More Demon Sect members surged into the alley. Seeing this, hopelessness flooded Min Ning's heart—her grip on the blade trembled, her left side almost unusable.
Yin Tingxue was equally pale.
Another Demon Sect member charged forward, armed with flying needles that shimmered silver in the rain-soaked night, shooting toward them. Min Ning raised her blade defensively, and sparks flew as the needles ricocheted through the alley.
"Ah!"
Yin Tingxue cried out in pain—a needle had struck her shoulder, blood pouring from the wound, soaking her garments. Seeing the Saintess injured, the attacker froze in shock.
Min Ning seized the moment and slashed him to death.
"Where did those Demon Sect followers go?"
"Follow me—charge ahead! Their Saintess is over there!"
Suddenly, Min Ning heard the urgent voices of several Eastern Factory supervisors and felt a glimmer of hope arise within.
The sudden assault of the Demon Sect initially caused chaos, but under Xue Youge's leadership, the Eastern Factory regained its footing. Well-equipped and battle-hardened, they started turning the tide. Though the situation remained chaotic, the Eastern Factory had begun counterattacking.
A group of Eastern Factory guards fought in the alley against the Demon Sect members—blades clashed as blood splattered, rain pouring fiercely.
The Demon Sect members outside the alley were relatively few in number—their main force was still assaulting the Eastern Factory's headquarters. Soon, they were forced into retreat, fleeing step by step.
Min Ning exhaled in relief, sheathed her blade, and observed as other Eastern Factory supervisors led guards into the alley.
"Commander Min, is this?"
The Eastern Factory supervisor looked at Yin Tingxue, squinting.
"The Demon Sect Saintess!"
The words fell—Min Ning's hand suddenly went cold.
The sounds of slaughter and shouting from the Demon Sect followers had inadvertently exposed Yin Tingxue's identity.
"Director Xue has ordered: if the Demon Sect Saintess is encountered, kill her without mercy."